Christmas without snow and cold isn’t truly Christmas. Conventionally, Christmas has always been portrayed as a merry yet chilly time of the year when families gather and celebrate with hearty meals. The warmth of family gatherings is juxtaposed with the gently falling snow and the chilly temperatures, setting a scene of serenity and peace.

   Christmas is the time of the year when people travel around the world to unite with their families, and this past Christmas was no different — except that the wind, the cold, and the snow turned out to have disrupted the travel plans of many Americans. Strong wind combined with heavy snow and temperatures dropping below freezing resulted in the cancellation of flights, causing major inconveniences for the traveling population and forcing many to resort to driving.

   The temperature dropped 43 degrees within just one hour in Wyoming; Denver had observed the coldest day in the city since 1983 around Christmas, with a low of -24 and a high of -6; with winds falling to -17 degrees in Nashville, -15 degrees in Little Rock and minus 4 degrees in Dallas even the South have experienced freezing temperatures; on Christmas morning in New York City the wind chill was forecasted to be at -4 degrees and -5 degrees in Atlanta, -17 degrees in Jacksonville and -19 degrees in Tampa, marking the coldest Christmas for Nashville in 39 years and for Atlanta in 37 years; in Chicago, the wind chill plunged to a bone-chilling -33 degrees.

   According to flight tracking website FlightAware, at least 3181 flights, domestically and internationally, were canceled on Christmas Day, and roughly 6800 flights were delayed. As a result, a number of travelers were forced to wait – and even some having to spend their nights – in the airports.

   Fortunately for the students at LFA, the cold temperatures did not affect them and their travel plans as much. For some, like Henry Gold ’24, their travel plans were not disrupted because they don’t travel on Christmas; for others, like Jorge Valle ’24, they weren’t affected by the volatile temperatures mainly because they traveled to warm places such as Mexico.

   However, not everyone at LFA was as lucky as Gold or Valle. Kristine Petroshius, Director of Advancement Services, said that the severe weather conditions prevented her family from flying back home to Minnesota due to the cancellation of flights, making them drive to Milwaukee to find a ticket.

   Christmas is not Christmas without the snow, but with the snow too heavy or the temperature too cold, Christmas would not be enjoyable.